Mariano's jobs fairs to fill new stores start Thursday

Mariano’s isn’t expected to complete its acquisition of 11 Dominick’s locations until later this month, but it’s ready to begin stocking the stores with new employees.

The fast-growing grocery chain is hosting a series of job fairs this week to staff the first five Dominick’s stores slated to reopen under the Mariano’s banner. About 250 positions are up for grabs at each location -- everything from store directors to cake decorators -- as it looks to rebuild the employee base from scratch.

Current Dominick’s employees are welcome to attend, but do not have a leg up in the application process, according to Jess Terry, chief human resources officer for Milwaukee-based Roundy's Supermarkets, the parent company of Mariano’s.

“We’re holding these job fairs like we do any other new store opening,” Terry said. “All prospective employees have equal opportunity to be interviewed.”

The first job fair will be Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Crown Plaza Chicago Metro Hotel at 733 W. Madison Street. Job fairs will also be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Skokie on Friday and the Chicago Marriott Southwest in Burr Ridge on Saturday.

The fairs will target staffing converted Dominick’s locations on Chicago Avenue and N. Sheridan Road in Chicago, as well as suburban stores in Park Ridge, Northfield and Western Springs.

Mariano’s announced this month it was buying 11 Dominick’s locations for $36 million, as Dominick’s parent, California-based Safeway, shutters the money-losing chain by December 28.

Launched in 2010 by former Dominick’s executive Bob Mariano, his namesake chain has 13 Chicago-area locations and is building five new stores that are scheduled to open in 2014. The Dominick's acquisition will give Mariano’s 29 stores by the end of the next year, with 10 city and 19 suburban locations.

Long-term plans call for 45 to 50 Mariano's stores in the Chicago area, according to executives.

Five of the Dominick’s stores will reopen under the Mariano’s banner by March, after being closed for cleaning and upgrading. Five more stores will undergo similar renovations in the spring, while the Westchester location will remain closed until later in the year for a full remodeling.

Terry said some management hiring may take place on the spot this week, but that the process will continue, with additional jobs fairs to be held next year, until the stores are ready to reopen as Mariano’s.

Safeway announced in October that it would close the 72-store Dominick’s chain. Market leader Jewel bought four of the locations Oct. 10, retaining about 450 workers, with plans to reopen the stores under its own banner next year.

There are 57 remaining Dominick's locations in the Chicago area that will either be sold or closed as Safeway exits the market.

Currently, Mariano’s has more than 5,000 employees at its 13 Chicago-area stores. All are members of UFCW Local 881, and Terry said the new hires will likely be represented by the union as well.

Some 4,000 Dominick's workers are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1546, with more than 1,300 in UFCW Local 881.

Eric Bailey, a spokesman for UFCW Local 1546, said Dominick’s employees at the stores acquired by Mariano’s are unclear about their short-term future, and concerned about their long-term employment prospects under the new owners.

“The fact that Mariano’s didn’t do what Jewel did and hire those employees from those stores, it’s very disappointing,” Bailey said. “It’s just another kick in the teeth to these people.”

While Terry expects some current Dominick’s employees to attend this week’s fairs, there was no direct outreach to invite them. He said Mariano’s is looking for experienced and novice applicants alike, and said the most important quality was probably not on the resume.

“It’s about really their attitude, exuding customer experience and service and going above and beyond,” Terry said. “That’s really what we’re looking for because we feel we can do a really nice job of training the rest.”

Most of the 1,250 positions at its first five converted Dominick’s locations will be part-time, but Terry said the opportunities for advancement are there.

“We’ve grown a lot of folks from part-time to full-time to the management levels,” Terry said.

Considering Mariano himself started behind the deli counter at Dominick’s, that seems far from an empty promise.